Prussian Prince Otto von Bismarck is remembered as the architect of the German Unification of 1871. His strategic and pragmatic view of diplomacy, alliances, and war allowed him to lead his Prussian liege to achieve dominance of the various small German states of the 19th century. For some he was genius, for others a ruthless warmongering Chancellor. Nonetheless we cannot disagree that he knew when (and how) to make war and when to sue for peace. One glorious example was the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 where Bismarck advised his King not to continue a winning war for more gains, as that would have meant a bitter revanchism from Austria later, when Prussia went against France and needed a neutral Austria.
The Nazi leaders of World War II on the other hand were not so smart (thank God). Their hate for the Communist ideology put them against more than what they could chew, effectively repeating the two-front war of the First World War. I bet if Bismarck was at the helm, this absurd move would have never happened. In other words, although Germany needs to find its expansion in the East, this should not happen before Germany had defeated the Western Allies.
I started this campaign in 1936 and, with much hindsight (admittedly), I tried to put Germany into condition to do as Bismarck might have done:
I played from 1936 to 1940, using diplomacy to win all the claimed areas (Austria, Silesia, Memel, etc)... Now I am at the last instant before a late-starting World War 2 which is the scope of this AAR.
CHAPTERS
Chapter 0: The Carefree Years (1936-1940)
Chapter 1: Preparations for a World War (May 1940)
Chapter 2: An Ultimatum to Poland (August 1940)
Chapter 3: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (September 1940)
Chapter 4: Rupprecht Plan (November 1940)
Chapter 5: Operation Swiss Cheese (February 1941)
Chapter 6: Towards Paris! (March 1941)
Chapter 7: France Surrenders (May 1941)
Chapter 8: Thor's Hammer: Securing Germany's Iron Supplies (July 1941)
Chapter 9: Impero Romano (August 1941)
Chapter 10: Operation Sealion (November 1941)
Chapter 11: The Soviet backstabbing (January 1942)
Chapter 12: The last Europeans join sides (February 1942)
Chapter 13: Ireland is ours! (March 1942)
Chapter 14: The Fall of the British Empire (March 1942)
Chapter 15: A Fascist World Order in the making? Norway's Downfall (April 1942)
This is Germany's situation currently, including money, armed forces, resources, etc:
This is the world map in 1940, Italy and Japan have already concluded their initial expansions:
These are the goals of the Axis, as set initially. As you see, I tried to leave the Soviet Union out of it, as if Germany convinced its allies to deal first with the Western Allies, before claiming anything Russian. Nationalist Spain and Portugal were convinced to join the Axis. Switzerland, a predominantly German-speaking country, has been decided it should fall. I am entertaining the idea of moving to France through Switzerland, instead of Belgium...
It is now 3 PM, May 15th of 1940 and Germany is gearing up for the unavoidable conflict. I chose this hour as the hour that the German Supreme Command decided for war (the dice is cast). In the next posts I will present screens and explain most of the events that have lead to the current standoff, including war plans and how I will deal with the enemies, as well as some personal house rules.
The Nazi leaders of World War II on the other hand were not so smart (thank God). Their hate for the Communist ideology put them against more than what they could chew, effectively repeating the two-front war of the First World War. I bet if Bismarck was at the helm, this absurd move would have never happened. In other words, although Germany needs to find its expansion in the East, this should not happen before Germany had defeated the Western Allies.
I started this campaign in 1936 and, with much hindsight (admittedly), I tried to put Germany into condition to do as Bismarck might have done:
- play low until ready: delay the war until the preparing armed forces can win it
- keep sentiments and ideologies at bay: no rush to defeat the Bolsheviks
- make the others appear the real threat: use propaganda to make Germany appear "friendly"
- fight one-front wars with steadfast allies: keep the flanks secure
I played from 1936 to 1940, using diplomacy to win all the claimed areas (Austria, Silesia, Memel, etc)... Now I am at the last instant before a late-starting World War 2 which is the scope of this AAR.
CHAPTERS
Chapter 0: The Carefree Years (1936-1940)
Chapter 1: Preparations for a World War (May 1940)
Chapter 2: An Ultimatum to Poland (August 1940)
Chapter 3: The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (September 1940)
Chapter 4: Rupprecht Plan (November 1940)
Chapter 5: Operation Swiss Cheese (February 1941)
Chapter 6: Towards Paris! (March 1941)
Chapter 7: France Surrenders (May 1941)
Chapter 8: Thor's Hammer: Securing Germany's Iron Supplies (July 1941)
Chapter 9: Impero Romano (August 1941)
Chapter 10: Operation Sealion (November 1941)
Chapter 11: The Soviet backstabbing (January 1942)
Chapter 12: The last Europeans join sides (February 1942)
Chapter 13: Ireland is ours! (March 1942)
Chapter 14: The Fall of the British Empire (March 1942)
Chapter 15: A Fascist World Order in the making? Norway's Downfall (April 1942)
This is Germany's situation currently, including money, armed forces, resources, etc:
This is the world map in 1940, Italy and Japan have already concluded their initial expansions:
These are the goals of the Axis, as set initially. As you see, I tried to leave the Soviet Union out of it, as if Germany convinced its allies to deal first with the Western Allies, before claiming anything Russian. Nationalist Spain and Portugal were convinced to join the Axis. Switzerland, a predominantly German-speaking country, has been decided it should fall. I am entertaining the idea of moving to France through Switzerland, instead of Belgium...
It is now 3 PM, May 15th of 1940 and Germany is gearing up for the unavoidable conflict. I chose this hour as the hour that the German Supreme Command decided for war (the dice is cast). In the next posts I will present screens and explain most of the events that have lead to the current standoff, including war plans and how I will deal with the enemies, as well as some personal house rules.
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